Senate Chair­man Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani meets the first woman president of Cambodia’s National Assembly, Samdech Khuon Sudary. —APP
Senate Chair­man Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani meets the first woman president of Cambodia’s National Assembly, Samdech Khuon Sudary. —APP

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chair­man Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has reaffirmed the strong and friendly relations between Pakistan and Cambodia.

He made these remarks during a meeting with Samdech Maha Rath­sapheathika Thipa­dei Khuon Sudary, president of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on Thursday.

The Senate chairman is on a visit to Cambodia, where he has continued meetings with senior government functionaries and called for multilateral collaboration and enhanced cooperation. He congratulated the Cam­bodian National Assembly president on being elected as the first woman president of the assembly, describing it as a milestone reflecting Cambodia’s commitment to gender equality and inclusive leadership.

Mr Gilani also congratulated the leadership and people of Cambodia on their continued socio-economic progress and political stability, highlighting the longstanding bilateral ties based on mutual respect, shared interests and close cooperation in multilateral fora. He appreciated Cambodia’s active role in regional cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy, and thanked the country for its valued support for Pakistan’s membership of the UNSC for the 2025-26 term.

Emphasising parliamentary cooperation, Mr Gilani reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening exchanges through Parliamentary Friendship Groups, institutional dialogue and inter-parliamentary forums, including the Asian Parliamentary Assembly.

Both sides underscored the importance of expanding cooperation in trade, investment, climate resilience, defence dialogue, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural diplomacy, including the shared Buddhist heritage rooted in Pakistan’s Gandhara civilisation.

The Senate chairman reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation with Cambodia and welcomed continued parliamentary engagement to advance peace and connectivity.

Senators Dr Zarqa Suharwady Taimoor, Abid Sher Ali and Zameer Hussain Ghumro, along with Adviser to the Chairman Senate and Ambassador for the Inter-Services Coordination Misbah Khar also accompanied him.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2026

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